The present invention relates to a support and, more particularly, a patient or invalid support, such as a mattress, that is adapted for use on a patient bed used in a hospital or other patient care facilities, including long term care facilities or the like.
When patients are hospitalized or bedridden for any significant amount of time, patients can develop pressure sores or ulcers. These pressure sores or ulcers can be exacerbated by the patient's own poor circulation, such as in the case of diabetic patients, but typically form as a result of prolonged immobility, which allows the pressure exerted on the patient's skin from the mattress to decrease circulation in the patient's tissue.
To address these issues, various surfaces have been developed, each with challenges from a manufacturing and cost perspective. Some mattresses provide excellent pressure redistribution but are heavy and, therefore, may be hard to maneuver when cleaning, for example. Others are light weight but may be more complicated to manufacture, and hence costly.
Accordingly there is a need for a mattress that can offer similar or better performance than prior art mattresses but without the attendant weight issues and manufacturing complexities of current mattresses.